This invention is directed to an improved catheter balloon, or cuff member, and catheter assembly. Catheters are basic medical tools used for the input or withdrawal of fluids from the body of a patient. They generally include an inflatable balloon cuff mounted near the distal end of the catheter for retention and/or sealing purposes.
The expansible cuff or balloon is a short tubular member of a highly elastic material. The cuff is sealingly attached to the outer surface of the catheter tube by an adhesive.
When the cuff is inflated, the stretched state of the elastic material creates a force tending to peel the cuff off the catheter tube. Peeling ultimately destroys the cuff seal thereby rendering the catheter inoperative.
Various structures and procedures have been utilized to overcome the peeling problem. As shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,734,100 and 3,884,242, one alternative is a thick layer of adhesive which distributes the peeling force over the entire cuff-tube interface, thereby resisting separation.
To maintain the adhesive in a relatively thick layer and to avoid a raised portion or lump on the catheter, the catheter tube must be grooved. Since catheter tubes are generally stock material, each tube must be worked, or machined, to provide a pair of annular recesses for receipt of the adhesive. This substantially increases the cost and time of manufacture.